I’m floored that anyone still wants to make fandom a competition where you have to “prove” your love for a given thing with knowledge or seeing/reading everything to do with your fandom. You like a thing, you’re a fan! Your entry point doesn’t affect this.

how to refer to Sam Smith.
"Sam Smith"
"they're a great artist."
"they're an icon."
"I love them."
"I love their songs."
easy enough, now stop being wankers.
fuckin hell it's not like they're asking you to lift 2000 tons in weight, it's just basic respect...